


Petal

by DarkWhiteWolf



Category: Original Work
Genre: Character Death, F/F, Hanahaki Disease, Love Letters, Sad Ending, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:20:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25126132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkWhiteWolf/pseuds/DarkWhiteWolf
Summary: Jane goes to visit her best friend Amy.
Relationships: Amy/Jane, Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Kudos: 8





	Petal

The Simmons public library was a melting pot of the haves and have-nots, a mixture of homeless people and the wealthy older residents of the nearby neighborhood. As such, the quality and content of books varied widely. It was for this reason that Jane found herself perusing the science fiction section one late Sunday afternoon, several thick volumes set on one of the old wooden tables off to the side. Slowly running a finger along the spines of some of the more worn novels on the shelf, she examined the titles closely, looking for something unique. Finally, at the very end of the shelf, she found what she was looking for. “The Dark Tower: Volume Three”. Perfect.

Her latest haul weighing heavily on her shoulder in her brand new, sea-foam green shoulder bag, Jane handed her library card to Mrs. Adams-An older woman with streaks of grey in her curly, auburn hair and rounded glasses that looked too thick to be of any use-with a subdued smile on her face. The librarian greeted her warmly as she swiped the card on the scanner. “More book reports?” She asked. Jane chuckled softly, shaking her head. “Nah, Amy’s been bugging me for more reading material for two weeks, I just haven’t had the time to come look.” Mrs. Adams laughed as well. “That girl must have read every book in this place twice over by now, such a smart child.” A frown marred her features for a brief moment, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared “Tell her I hope she’s doing well.”  
“I will!” Jane called over her shoulder as she made her way towards the exit. Several of the other patrons shot her dirty looks and she cringed, hurrying out the door. 

Turning the corner onto fifth avenue, Jane strolled casually down the street, a strained smile plastered on her face. She reached Amy’s house quickly, but stopped just before stepping onto the porch, taking a deep breath. Even after four years, the old building still made her feel uneasy. Its pristine white paint and perfectly tended lawn stood out like a sore thumb against the bland browns and oranges of the houses surrounding it, all with long dead grass and at least one broken window each. Although since most of them had been abandoned years ago, maybe that’s what Amy’s parents had been going for, an obvious warning.  
Stepping up to the front door, Jane lifted the welcome mat and retrieved the spare key underneath, slotting it into the lock. With a single twist and a half-hearted shove, the door swung open with an admittedly ominous creak, revealing the immaculate living room beyond. Wiping her shoes off, Jane took a few slow steps inside and the door shut automatically with an electronic click. _  
Yeah, still weird.  
_ Taking a moment to clean both herself and her cargo of books at the sanitation station set up at the entrance to the living room, Jane zipped through the rest of the house-careful to avoid touching anything-and up the stairs.

Amy’s door was the only one in the whole house that wasn’t completely white, a small handmade sign hung from a peg in the center. “Amy’s Room” was scrawled rather untidily in cheap paint. Jane sighed sadly at the sight before hastily schooling her expression into one of joy and excitement, turning the knob and pushing the door open.

The first thing Jane noticed was how cold it was, chilled air wafted from the industrial sized air conditioner fixed to the wall, brushing against her arms and she scolded herself for choosing to wear a fashionable T-shirt rather than her winter coat. The next thing was a large silver bucket, polished to a sheen, sitting at the far end of the room. Filling it to the point of overflowing were hundreds of tiny cherry blossom petals, wilted and bent. There was also an array of medical equipment which sat in one corner, a web of cords and wires leading to Amy’s bed. Amy herself had been watching something on her laptop, earphones seated firmly on her head, but she tore them off with an excited squeal when Jane entered. “Jane!” she exclaimed. “Oh my gosh, it’s so good to see you! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming today?” Jane smiled gently, taking a seat in one of the chairs placed next to the bed and setting her bag in her lap. “I wanted to surprise you, silly.”  
Amy’s eyes fell on the bag and she gasped. “No, you said you wouldn’t be able to get any more ‘till next week!”  
“That’s the point of a surprise.”

With a light grunt, Jane spilled her quarry onto the bed. Amy whooped happily and went to pick up a random volume but stopped short as a fit of coughing wracked her body. Thinking fast, Jane pulled a tissue from the pack in her pocket and handed it to her friend, who brought it up to cover her mouth. After several seconds, the coughing stopped and the shorter girl sat quietly, staring at the tissue sadly. Jane took it from her and moved to throw it away, the mix of blood and petals sending a shiver down her spine. Silence permeated the room for a while before Amy spoke quietly. “It’s getting worse.” She said. “The doctors said I only have a few months now.” Jane dropped the tissue in the bucket, turning back towards her. “I’m sorry.”  
Amy shook her head “Not your fault, you’ve actually helped me the most. You have no idea how boring it can be with just my parents around. Don’t move so much Amy, you can’t eat that Amy, you have to rest Amy.” She sighed, “I really appreciate this you know? You’re the only person who visits me anymore.” Jane smiled again “You’re my best friend.” She said, “I’ll always be here.”

Amy nodded slowly at this, her expression unreadable, before she seemed to gather herself and picked up another book.

A comfortable silence settled over them then as Amy read the summary on the back, and Jane tapped her fingers on her knee in thought before speaking. “How’s the writing going?” She asked. Amy glanced up at her with another smile, gesturing to where she’d put the laptop aside. “See for yourself.” Carefully leaning over the smaller girl, Jane grabbed the device and balanced it on her knees, opening the “Phrase” program.  
The only file on the program, still open and in editing mode was a piece titled: After: A story by Amy Belle. Without looking up, Jane found Amy’s hand and interlaced their fingers, squeezing tightly.

Amy giggled. “Don’t worry Jane, it’ll always be there to read, even if I’m not.”

About an hour later, Jane got a notification on her phone and her eyes widened when she saw the reminder. ‘Damnit!” she cursed. “Amy raised an eyebrow at the outburst. “What?”  
“I forgot my mom’s giving a speech at the museum now. Sorry Amy, I gotta go.” 

“Wait!” the other girl grabbed her arm, holding her in place. Jane looked back, “What is it?”  
Amy remained silent for a moment, looking like she was considering something. Then she shook her head and released her grip. “Nothing, don’t worry, just…let me know how the speech goes, okay?”  
Jane nodded, “Of course.”

The main hall of the museum was packed, and Jane had to squeeze her way through the crowd of stuffy aristocrats and archaeology enthusiasts to get to the front row of seats. Her mother-dressed in a long, navy-blue skirt and button up shirt, her shoulder-length blonde hair pulled up in a bun-spotted her from the podium set up on the rental stage and rushed over, a stack of flash cards held tightly in her hand. “Jane where have you been? I thought you were going to help your dad at the ticket booth!” Jane groaned and smacked a palm against her forehead. “Argh! Sorry mom, I went to visit Amy this afternoon, I completely forgot.” Her mother’s eyes softened, and she placed a hand on her shoulder “It’s alright honey, just go find your dad before he breaks something.” With a nod of affirmation, Jane turned, pushed back through the assembled group and out the door.  
She found her dad sitting behind a small plastic table covered with a checked tablecloth outside, frantically exchanging tickets and pocket change. “Your saviour has arrived!” she yelled enthusiastically, sliding up beside him and grabbing a wad of tickets, “Come on now, hurry up, you don’t want to be late for such an important speech now do ya?” Her dad laughed, “You’re awfully cheerful, huh?” he said. “Well I figured I’d hype mom up. a bit.” She replied, ‘Really get everyone excited.”  
‘For a talk about some old rocks?”  
She shrugged, “Better than floundering like a fish.” Her dad frowned “Touché.”

Soon enough everyone was seated inside the hall, chatting quietly while they waited for the presentation to start. Jane’s mother peeked out at the attendees from behind the thin partition she’d quickly put together the night before. “I don’t know if I can do this.” She said nervously, wringing her hand together. Jane gave her a pat on the back. “You’ve totally got this, you practiced like a million times.” Her mother took a deep breath, smoothing out her skirt. “Right, I’ve got this.”  
A voice rang out from the intercom by the entrance. “Everyone, please be seated, the event is about to begin.”

Showtime.

The speech went well, much to everyone’s delight, and Jane’s mother suggested a celebratory supper at her favorite restaurant as a reward. After an incredibly boring closing statement by an old man who looked closer to a raisin than a person, the family piled into the car and pulled away. As they drove, Jane groaned in annoyance. “Aw, man! I forgot about Amy, there’s no way I’ll be back in time to visit her again.” She pulled her phone from her pocket with the intent to send an apology text but growled in frustration when she realized the battery was dead. “Aw, come on!”  
Her mother turned to look at her from the passenger seat. “Don’t worry honey, I’m sure she’ll forgive you.” With a resigned sigh, the brunette pocketed it again and turned to look out the window. “I hope so, she always gives me the silent treatment when she’s mad.”

Jane stumbled into her room with an exhausted moan, kicking off her shoes and collapsing onto her bed. Her alarm clock displayed the time as half-past eleven in flashing red numbers. _Definitely should have skipped that dessert._  
Not bothering to change, Jane simply curled in on herself atop the covers, closing hr eyes.

The next day, Jane shuffled lazily down the street, eyelids heavy and feet leaden. She’d barely been able to get out of bed that morning, following her morning routine at a snail’s pace, it was halfway through the school day before she even realized she’d forgotten her phone.

All traces of tiredness vanished however, when she rounded the corner and was greeted by a slew of medical staff and an ambulance outside Amy’s house. Oh no. Wide-eyed and panicking, she broke into a sprint as she neared, “What happened!” she yelled, grabbing the shirt of one of the paramedics who had been jotting something down in a notebook.  
“Jane.” She turned at the sound of her name, coming face to face with Amy’s father, Mr. Belle. His eyes were red and puffy, and he held a slightly crumpled envelope in his hand. “What happened?” she repeated, softly this time. Mr. Belle knelt down in front of her, pressing the envelope into her hands. “The infection was worse than the doctors anticipated.” He said, voice low. “It went from dangerous to deadly in a matter of hours. We didn’t even have time to adjust the equipment. It was quick though, and painless.”

  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
After a short pause, he said, “. She wanted you to have this.”  


Jane froze, gripping the envelope in shaking hands. She felt tears sting her eyes.  
_No._  
With a gentle hand, Mr. Belle guided her inside, past the sanitation station and into the living room.  
_Please no._  
She sat on one of the couches without thinking, drawing in on herself.  
_Why?_  
With numb fingers, she tore open the envelope, unfurling the letter inside.  
_I’m sorry._  
Through blurry vision she read Amy’s handwriting.

Dear Jane

I know this is a little weird, me writing a letter and all, but I can never seem to get the courage to tell you this in person and a text seems a little too impersonal. So, in case I don’t tell you before…well before something happens, you can read this and it’ll be like I’m talking right to you.  
Okay well first off, do you know what it’s called? What I have? The doctors call it Hanahaki, which means something like petals or flowers. It starts with a cough, which gets worse and worse over time. Eventually you start to cough up flower petals, and If it isn’t cured in time, the flowers will start blooming fully in your lungs, and then…yeah. My parents and I could never figure out what caused it, even the most expensive doctors didn’t know. For years we had no idea why what was happening was happening. Until a year ago. We went to a specialist in Korea (The trip was pretty cool, I hope you still have that key chain.) and he told us that Hanahaki was caused by an anomaly in the part of the brain that has to do with emotions, particularly romance and love. He said it was caused by a feeling of unrequited love.  
Obviously, we were confused, I mean, who did I think didn’t love me? Certainly not my family, they’d do anything for me. I had no clue. My parents did research, they looked into how Hanahaki occurred and whether it could be caused by something else. But I just kept going, even if I couldn’t go to school, even if I was all alone, I still wanted to live, still wanted to learn.  
Except I wasn’t alone. You were there, always. Even when everyone else stopped coming around, even when they stopped sending notes and letters hoping I got better, you didn’t. You would visit every day to talk and tell stories, you went out of your way to get books for me because you didn’t want me to be bored. You called me all the time to make sure I was alright. You cared about me.  
I cared about you too, but it was only recently that I realized it was in a different way. If you feel uncomfortable, I understand, I mean it’s a hell of a thing to spring on someone especially if…y’know. And you had that thing with Cole a couple years ago so that’s probably a good indication. But I think that if I can’t say it to your face in time, I should at least let you know at some point.  
That’s why I’m writing this letter Jane, to tell you  
I love you. 

Tears streamed down Jane’s face as she read, leaving a few wet blotches on the paper. She gripped the paper tighter with a watery sob.  
  
_I should have told you Amy._  



End file.
